Fire-alarm box.



W. E. FASI-NACHT.

FIRE ALARM BOX.

APPLICATION FILED sEPT.25, 1912.

Patented July 13, 1915. f

3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

llllIif-LIIII l W. E. FASTNACHT.

FIRE ALARM BOX.

APPLICATION FILED sumas, 1912.

1,146,239 Patented July 13, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

www @Mw/af @y W. E. FASTNACHT. FIRE ALARM Box.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT.25, i912.

VPatented July 13, 19175.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

mmf'

l STAVFES "FTET erica.

WARREN E. FASTNACI-IT, OF -YORK, PENNSYLVANIA.

FIRE-ALARM B0X.

Application led September 25, 1912. Serial No. 722,290.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that. I, lllannnx E. FAST- NAGHT, a citizen o the/United States, and resident of York, in the county of York and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful lmprovements in Fire- Alarm Boxes, of which the following is a specification. f

This invention relates to alarm boxes and more particularly to tire-alarm boxes, and has for its object the provision of means carriedjby the door of the box whereby. an' alarm is. sounded at the box when the door is opened in the usual manner for sending in an alarm.

In the present type of fire-alarm box. which is commonly used it is possible for a' person to send in a false alarm and escape without being detected. As is well known many persons have a mania for sending in 'false alarms and these false alarms are the cause of a large amount of expense and trouble tothe `tire departments. lt also frequentlyv happensthat it is desired to send in an alarm when for some reason or other the box mechanism or the wires connecting it with the fire engine house are out of order and therefore no alarm could be sent in.

It is the object of my present invention to largely overcome these defects in the present alarm box by providing, as above stated, an alarm at the box itself which is automatically set oli' when the door is opened thus apprising the people in the vicinity of the box that an alarm has been 4sent in so that they may observe the person sending in the alarm and may also know that there is a lire in the neighborhood. By apprising the peo ple of the fact that there is a fire in the neighborhood they will be able togo to the fire and render such assistance as is within their power.

Other objects and the various features of novelty of the invention will be apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying 'drawings, in whichi Y Figure l1 's a perspective view of a box embodying the invention, a part' being broken away to show the arrangement of certain interior parts when the door of the box is closed; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the box shown in Fig. 1 with the door open;

Fig. 3 .is a perspective view of the key forv windihgthe alarmg'Fig. 4 is an elevation of the'mner side et, the door with. eertam parts broken away to show the alarm mechanism .in the set 7 position which the parts occupy when the door is closed; Fig. 5 is a :tragn'ientary view similar to Fig. 4 and snowing the alarm mechanism in the re-` leased or unwound position; Fig. 6 is a detail elevation of the mechanism for actuating the' strikers; Fig. 7 is a fragmentary section of the central part of the gong; Fig. 8 is a section on the line 8-8 of Fig. 6; Fig. 9` isa section on the line` 9-9 of Fig. 5; Fig. V10` is a plan view of the ratchet on. the inner side vof the gong.'

Referring to the drawings, 10 indicates the usual support or post which carriesthe box 11 containing the mechanism lfor 'send-e ing in an' alarm, this mechanism formingno part of the present invention and therelbre` a description ofthe same willpbe omitted.; The boxll is usually provided with a door,A which is opened when it is desiredv tosend in an alarm, the alarm being sent in by pulling a. hook' 12. ln my invention the f door, 13, is' mounted onthe boxrllbly means', of hinges 14 and is provided with the usual lock 15 which. may be released by means of'a key inserted inthe keyhole 16 lon thekexterior of the door. ln the type of boxvnovw.

commonly in use the lock 15'is ordinarily actuated by a key or handle which is permanently arranged on the exterior of the door so that when it is desired'to open theL door in order to send in an alarmit-is only necessary to turn this, key or handle to throw back the 'bolt 1 6 of the" lock.

. In yorder to open the door l on the exterior thereof a handle l'which is secured to a pivotV 18. rlhe pivot 18 carries on the interior of the ydoor a member 19 having two arms 20 and 21. The arm 20-is have provided connected with a lever 22 by means` ofa link y 23. The lower end of the lever 22 isarranged on a ixed pivot 24 and the upper end of this lever engages a pin 25 carried by the bolt 16. By this mechanism the bolt 16 will be thrownback, to permit the door to.`

be opened, 'by turningtheg'handle V17. comparatively stiti' spring 26 has one end secured to the lever 22 and the other end to a fixed pivot 27, and-opposes the turning of the handle' 17 in the directionlto throw back the bolt 16. Y

rlhe pivots 24 and 2'( andthev other lloartsA of the alarm mechanism about to belde,-

s'oribed are carried by aA plate 28',y whichiisf secured te the door l@ by means .of lserewsA 29. By thus mounting the parts on the plate 28 all of the mechanism may be readily removed from the door, to facilitate repair, by merely taking out the screws 29.

As will be seen from the drawings the door` 13 is provided with a comparatively deep marginal flange which forms a chamber on the inner side of the door for the gong mechanism. The gong 30 is mounted on a post 31 which is secured in the plate 28 (see Fig. 8). rlhe post is provided with a hexagonal end portion 32 which fits into a corresponding recess 33 in the gong, and a screw 34 passes through the gong and holds the gong in position on the post 31, the gong being prevented from turning by the hexagonal portion 32 of the post. A ratchet wheel or plate 35 is rotatably arranged on the post 31, a renewable sleeve 36 being provided onthe post for the purpose of taking the wear. A sleeve 37 is rotatably arranged on the sleeve 36 and has secured thereto, by means of a screw 38, a spiral spring 39, the outer end of this spring being secured to a post 40 carried by the plate plate 41 is loosely arranged on the sleeve 37 and engages the edges of the coils of the spring' 39 and, as will be readily seen from Fig. 8, holds the coils in position. One end of the sleeve 37 is provided with the ratchet teeth 42, and adjacent the teeth 42 this sleeve is provided with the gear teeth 43. A plate 44 is secured on the inner side of the gong 30 and is provided with the spring teeth 45 which are adapted to engage the teeth 42 of the sleeve`37. The gong 30 is provided with an opening 46 adapted to receive the key 47, (Fig. this key having a handle 48 and a small pinion 49, the teeth of which are adapted to mesh with the teeth 43 of the sleeve 37 when the key is inserted in the opening 46.

An escapement of the usual form consisting of a member 59 having the teeth 51 and adapted to alternately engage the teeth 53 on the periphery of the plate 35, is mounted on a pivot 54 and carries the arms 55 having at the outer ends thereof the striking hammers 56 adapted to alternately strike the gong 30 when the member 50 is os'cillated.

The plate 35 carries pins 57 adapted to limit the expansion of the spring 39 and also has arranged on the side thereof adjacent the plate 28 a lug or projection 58 by means of which the plate 35 is normally prevented from rotating in a manner to be described hereinafter.

The plate 35 being held, and the gong 30 being prevented from rotating, it will be seen that the spring 39 may be wound up by turning the key 47 in the opening 46 in the gong, thereby rotating the sleeve 37 which has the inner end of the spring 39 secured thereto. HAs the spring'39 is wound theratchet teeth 45 spring sufficiently to permit the passage of the teeth 42 and the engagement of these teeth prevents the unwinding of the spring. When the means coperating with the lug 58, to prevent the plate 35 from rotating', is released, the spring 38 will cause the plate to be rotated on the sleeve 36 and thus actuate the escapement 50 and the striking hammers 56. The gong 30 is preferably of large size so that it will house all of the actuating mechanism and prevent access thereto and will also produce suflicient sound to be heard for several blocks so that whenever the gong is set off people within a wide radius of the alarm will be apprised of the setting off thereof.

For the purpose of holding the plate 35 in the set position l have provided a lever 59 having a fixed pivot 60 at one end and a roller 61 at the other end, this roller being in position to be engaged by the lug 58 on the plate 35. lVhen the parts are in the i set position the end of the lever 39 bears against the end of the arm 21 of the member 19 which prevents the lever from moving toward the right as seen in Fig. 4, in which figure the lug 58 is shown in engagelnent with the roller 61. The lug 58 is preferably of an elongated cross-section as shown, with the edges thereof sharpened. From Fig. 4 it will be seen that the lug 58 cannot pass the roller 61 so long as the lever 59 is held in the position shown, and therefore the plate 35 will be prevented from rotating.

The arm 21 of the member 19 has connected therewith` by means of a pin 62, a sliding' member 63 the lower end of which is guided by a pin 64 and the side of a plunger 65, this plunger being in turn guided by the memberl 63 and the pins 66 and 6'?. The member 63 carries a. cam 68 and the plunger 65 carries at the upper end thereof a pin 69 which engages the upper edge of a spring plate which is secured to the plate 28 by means of the screws 71 and 72. The plunger 65 has connected therewith a spring 73, which tends to move the plunger downwardly and, when the mechanism is in the set position, the pin 69 holds the plunger against downward movement by its engagement with the plate TO. The lower end of the plunger 65 is provided with a cam Tl which is adapted to engage the lower wall of the box 11 when the door 13 is closed. as will be clearly seen from Figs. 1 and 9. rlhe cam 74 is preferably of suitable shape to lift the plunger' 65 by its enga gement with the edge of the box 11 when the door is being closed. lWhen the handle 17 is turned to throw back the bolt 16 of the lock 15, the arm 21 of the member 19 will move the mem` ber 63 downwardly and the cam 68 will lift the plate 70 so that the pin 69 will be disengaged from the plate and permit the plunger Cil to be moved downwardly by the spring 73. So long as the door 13 remains closed the plunger' will be prevented from moving downwardly, even after the handle 17 has been turned, by the engagement of the cam 7l with the lower wall of the box 11. Before vthe vdoor can be opened however the handle 17 must be turned to throw back the bolt 16', and as this operation disengages the pin 69 from the plate 70, the plunger 65 will be permitted to be moved downwardly vwhenever the door is opened.

The lever 59 has pivoted thereto a dog or pawl 75, the free end of which bears against the side of the plunger 65 and is held in engagement with the same by a spring 76. hav ing 1one end thereof secured to the lever 59. The dog has a tooth or'abutment 77 which is adapted to engage a notch 78 in the side' of the plunger 65, and also has a projecting toe 79 arranged above the tooth 77 and adaptedto bear against the side of the plunger 65.

Whenthe parts are in the set position shownin Fig. 4 the tooth 77 engagesr the notch 78 and therefore when the plunger is released and moved downwardly by the spring 73 the lever 59 will have its upper end swung toward the left a sufficient distance to permit the edge of the lug 58 to pass beyond the center" of the rolleil 61 so that the lug will then pass by the roller and the plate 35 will be released and the gong sounded. The toc 79 of the dog 75 limits the turning movement of the dog, on its pivotal connectionwith the lever 59. by its engagement with the side of the plunger 65. After the lever 59 hasbeen moved to the left and released t-he plate 35 it will be held in this position, while the spring 39 is unwinding,by the spring 76.

The lever 59 has secured thereto a spring arm 80 by means of a screw 81.y the free end of thisarm bearing against the surface of the outer coil of the spring 39.v as is clearly shown in Fig. 9, so that as the spring un- Winds, and the vouter coil of the spring assumes a larger diameter, the arm 8O and the lever 59 will-be moved to the right.. As the roller 61 is thus carried toward the right it will be engagedby the lug 58 on the plate 35 asthe latter rotates during the unwinding of the spring when the center of the roller has moved to the right of the path of the lug 58,'the next engagement of the lug with the roller will force the lever 59 into engagement with the arm 21 and stop the plate 35.

1 in orderfto yprevent aperson from opening the door and 'sending in an alarm and then stopping the sounding of the gong 30, it is essential to have all of the gong actuating mechanism placed in such a position thatr it is inaccessible to the personl sending il'iitheala-rm and? it fis alsol Tessentialftoipror vide means which will prevent 'the plunger 65 from being reset and thereby stopping thel alarm. l have therefore arranged the gong 30s() that it' closelyfits the plate 28 and Yhave concealed substantially all of theV gong actuating mechanism beneath the latter so that'it is practically impossible for a person to 'tamper with the mechanism. f

ln order to prevent the plunger 65 from' being reset by an unauthorized person I have pivoted thereto a pafvvl 82 .which is provided witli a tooth 83 adapted'to be moved into engagement with the pin 67 by a spring 84, carried by the lever 59, when the plunger 65 is moved downwardly by the spring 73. The pawl 82 is shown in engagement with the pin 67 in Fig. -5 and vfrom this figure it will be obvious that the plunger cannot be movedupwardly with' the'parts inthis position. 1

As the spring 39 unwinds, in actuating the striking mechanism, the lever 59 'is moved toward the right ("Fig. 5) as hereinbefore described and therefore the pawl 82- will be carried out of engagement with the pin 67 so that it would be possible for a personto reset the plunger 65 afterr the spring 39 has been slightly unwound. Itv

is desirable to prevent this resetting of the plunger65 by an unauthorized `person before the spring 39 hasbeen completely unwound and therefore in order to prevent the plunger `from beingv moved upwardlylafter the pawl has been moved out ofengagement with thep'in 67 I have provided additional locking means which come intov action Sas the spring 39 is unwound and before the" pawl 82 is 'completely disengaged from the pin 67 This locking means 'consists 'of an Iarin 85 which is pivotally mounted on a postn86 secured tothe plate 9.8. This'arm has at its lower end a'" laterally extending toe87 which, as shown in Fig. 5, is adaptedy to assume a position vabove the upper end the plunger65 and prevent the latter from being re-set. A pin 88.limits the movement of the arm 85 in one direction.` A comparatively'weaky spring 89,A having one end secured to a post 90 and its other end secured tothe arm 85', tends to swing the arm toward the right in Fig. '5. The hub of the arm 85 is provided with a tooth. or abutment 9-1y which is vadapted to be engaged by a vcorresponding tooth 92 on the hub of'an arm 93, which is also :pivotally mounted on the post 86.' Aspring 9a has oney end secured to the post 90 and its other en d securedto thea'rm 93 and tends to swing the latter towardthe left in Fig. 5. The spring '94k' is much stronger than thespring 89 and therefore,

when the teeth 91'and 92 are in engagement,

of the path nof the plunger 65 and'notfinter- :tere withfthefupvfardsmevement pit the latica ter. From Figs. a and 9 it Will be seen that the arm 93 bears against the outer coil of the spring 39 and therefore as this spring is unwound the arm 93 will be moved toward the right from the dotted position shown in Fig. to the position shown in full lines. lVhen the spring 39 is Wound up the teeth 91 and 92 are in engagement and the toe of the arm 87 is out of the path of the plunger 65. As the spring 39 unWinds, the arm 93 is carried toward the right and the spring 89 will carry the arm S5 in the same direction until its movement is limited by the pin 38. As the spring 39 continues to unwind the arm 93 will be carried farther toward the right and disengage the teeth 91 and 92. It will there` fore be seen that While the univinding of the spring 39 causes the pawl 82 to be moved out of engagement with the pin 67, the same movement causes the arm 85 to be moved to a position which prevents the plungerl from being reset, and therefore after the plunger 65 has been moved downwardly, and the gong mechanism released, the operation of the mechanism cannot be interrupted blefore the spring is Wholly unWound and the full alarm sounded. l/Vhen the spring 39 is rewound b y the proper officer Who is provided With the key L17 for this purpose, the arm 93 will be gradually moved to the left (F ig. 5) by the spring 9a, until just before the completion of the rewinding the tooth 92 will engage the tooth 91, and as the rewinding continues the arm 85 will be moved to a position where the toe 87 Will not interfere with the resetting of the plunger 65. rll`he spring 39 being then fully reivound the'plunger 85 may be pushed up Wardly by the thumb or by closing the door 13.

From the above description it Will be obvious that it is impossible to open the door 13 by means of the handle 17 Without releasing the gong mechanism. It is however. desii-able to have the mechanism so arranged that the door 13 may be opened by any duly authorized person Without releasing this mechanism and therefore I have arranged the lock 15. so that the boltV 16 may be thrown back by means of a key inserted in the keyhole 16. From Figs. 4l and 5 it Will be obvious that the moving of the bolt 16 by means o-f a key inserted in the keyhole 16 ivill not move the lever 22, and therefore Will have no effect on the alarm mechanism. The lock 15 is preferably of the type now commonly employed on fire-alarm boxes and is so arranged that When the door 13 has been opened by means of a key inserted in the keyhole 16 the key Will be retained in the lock 15 until released by the proper official Who is providedv With a key for this purpose which' may be inserted in a keyhole 15. Y

It will be obvousto those skilled in the art to which this mechanism appertains that various changes may be made in the details of construction thereof Within the scope of the appended claims and therefore I do not Wish to be limited to the exact details of construction shown and described.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

1. In an apparatus ofthe class described, the combination of a box, a door for the box, a gong fixed on the interior of said door, mechanism carried by the door for sounding said gong, a locking device for said mechanism carried byvsaid door, means for releasing said locking device When the door is opened, a latch for said means, a latch for the door, and means on the exterior oit' the door for simultaneously releasing both of said latches.

In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of a box, a door for the box, a gong carried by said door on the interior thereof, mechanism for sounding said gong and concealed by the latter', a lock adapted to prevent the operation of said mechanism While the door is in closed position, means for releasing` said lock when the door is opened, and means for preventing the door from being closed While said gong is being sounded.

3. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of a box, a door for the box, an alarm carried by the door on the interior thereof, means fory preventing the alarm from operating while the door is closed and adapted to be released when the door is opened, and means automatically rendered operative and inoperative for preventing the door from being closed While the alarm is being operated.

4i. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of a box, a door for the box. an alarm mechanism, means for preventing the alarm mechanism from being operated While the door is closed and adapted to be released when the door is opened, and means automatically rendered operative and inoperative for preventing the door from being closed Whilethe yalarm mechanism is oper,- ating. y

5. In an apparatus ofthe class described, the combination of a box, a door for the box, a normally-set alarm mechanism carried by the door, a slidable member carried by thc door and adapted to release said mechanism and held by the box, While the door is closed, to prevent it from releasing the alarm mechanism, means for moving said memberto release the alarm mechanism, When the door is opened. and means for preventing said member from being returned to its original position While the alarm mechanism is op-4 erating.

6. In an apparatus ofthe class described,- tliecombnation of abox, a door hinged to the box, an alarm mechanism fixed on the interior of the door, a slidable member carried by the door and adapted to set said alarm mechanism into operation, a latch for said slidable member, a latch for the door, and means operable from the exterior of the door for releasing both of said latches.

T. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination ci' a box, a door hinged to the box, an alarm mechanism carried by the door, and means for setting said alarm mechanism into operation when the door is opened and adapted to prevent the closing of the door while said mechanism is operating.

8. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of a box, a door hinged to the box, alarm mechanism fixed on the interior ot the door, a member slidably arranged on said door, means for preventingv the operation of said alarm mechanism and adapted to be released by said member, means for moving said member, means for preventing the operation of said member,

p and means operable fromthe exterior of the door for releasing said last-named means.

9. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of a box, a door for the box, alarm mechanism fixed on the door, means for preventing the operation of said alarm mechanism, an operating handle` on the exterior of the door for releasing said means, a latch for the door, and means whereby said latch is released when said operating handle is moved.

10. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination oi' a box, a door for the box, alarm mechanism carried by the door, means for preventing the operation of the alarm mechanism while the door is closed, a latch for the door, and an operating handle on the exterior of the door for releasing said means and said latch, said latch being also adapted to be released independently of said operating handle without releasing said alarm mechanism.

11. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of a box, a door for the box, an alarm mechanism carried by the door on the interior thereof, a spring for actuating said alarm mechanism, means for holding said spring to prevent actuation of said mechanism, means for releasing said h0lding means, a latch for said last mentioned means, means operable from the exterior of the door for releasing said latch, and means for preventing the resetting of said latch while said mechanism is operating.

12. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of a box, a door hinged to the box, an alarm mechanism carried by the door, means whereby said alarm mechanism is set into operation when the door is opened, and means automatically rendered operative and inoperative to prevent the closing of the door until the alarm mechanism is re-set.

13. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination ci' a box, a door for the box,

an alarm mechanism carried by said door,

and means for setting said alarm mechanism into operation when the door is opened and adapted to prevent closing of the door until the alarm mechanism is re-set.

la. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of a box, a door for the box, an alarm mechanism carried by the door on the interior thereof, means for preventing the alarm' mechanism from operating while the door is closed and adapted to be released when the door is opened, and means for preventing the door from being closed until the alarm mechanism is re-set.

15. In an apparatus lof the class described, the combination of a box, a door Jfor the box, an alarm mechanism, means for preventing the alarm mechanism from being operated while the door is closed and adapted to be automatically released when the door is opened, and means for preventing the door from being closed until the alarm mechanism has been re-set.

16. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination oi' a box, a door for the box, a normally set alarm mechanism carried by the door, a slidable member carried by the door and adapted to release said mechanism and held by the box, while the door is closed, to prevent it from releasing the alarm mechanism, means for moving said member to release the alarm mechanism, when thedoor is opened, and means for preventing said member from being returned to its original position until the alarm mechanism has been re-set.

17. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of a box, a door hinged to the box, a spring-actuated alarm mechanism carried by the door on the interior thereof, means for preventing the alarm mechanism from being operated while the door is closed and adapted to automatically release the alarm mechanism when the door is opened, and means for preventing the door from being closed until the alarm mechanism has been re-wound.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WARREN E. FASTNACHT.

Witnesses:

L. E. HERR, CHAs. K. BINDER.

Copies of this patent may 'be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

